Thoughts from the Shed
by Mulderette
Summary: What Callen and Sam could have been thinking while they were in the shed. ***Spoilers from the Season 10 premiere***


_So, someone asked if I could write a piece about Sam and Callen in the shed. I'm usually very dialogue-based in my writing, but I loved the dialogue the show provided and didn't want to mess with it. So this is basically just an expansion on the scene, exploring what the two men may have been thinking. Not really sure how I did with something like this, but I gave it a whirl. Hope you like it._

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Callen made his way over to the sacks of grain in the storage shed and basically collapsed onto them. He was grateful they were there. At least he'd be able to raise his head more comfortably which would help his breathing somewhat. He knew it was getting worse though. His back was also killing him and he felt like his insides were all messed up, in general. He wasn't going to mention that to Sam though. Those things were easy enough to hide. His breathing difficulties weren't quite so simple to cover up though. He watched as Sam told the young boy to sit down and then came over and checked him out again. He told him he likely had a punctured lung and if he had the proper tools, he could cut into his chest to help him breathe better. The idea didn't really appeal to him, but he trusted Sam implicitly. If there was any way to do so, he knew that Sam would save him. There was no knife though, no way for Sam to do what he wanted to do. He knew his partner wasn't doing so hot either and was likely trying to hide symptoms, as well. Not that it helped matters any, but in some weird way he supposed it did help them feel better psychologically. He found his thoughts wandering and he wondered how Kensi and Deeks were doing. He hadn't wanted to split from their junior team members, but the truth was if they had stayed together, he and Sam would have slowed Kensi down. Deeks' best chance for survival was Kensi. She was tough and strong and had come out of the rocket hit in better condition than any of them.

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Sam hated feeling helpless. It was the way he had felt when he couldn't find his wife and it was the way he felt now. He knew his partner was slowly dying and ironically in a way very similar to how Michelle had died. She literally had used up all her air and G was having more and more difficulty getting the air, which was plentiful, into his lungs. He had never imagined that they would have ended up like this, him bleeding out and Callen slowly losing his ability to breathe. Hell, someday he had thought they'd take a long trip on his boat, just the two of them, sailing off to different places, hanging out together, talking and drinking beer. It would have been the ultimate male bonding trip. However, he had never mentioned it to G. He had decided to wait until the boat was finished and then had hoped they could plan something. Now that was never going to happen. If somehow a miracle happened and they were able to survive, he would tell him about his plan. It definitely didn't pay to keep things to yourself. He really hoped he'd be the one to die first, not wanting to see his partner succumb, but he didn't think that was going to happen. He was pretty sure that G was going to die first and he really couldn't bear the thought of it.

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Callen had been watching Sam for a short while, unsure if his partner was unconscious or merely sleeping. Feeling unbearably hot and thirsty, he sat up, gasping for air as he did so and managed to get out of the jacket he was wearing. He saw the boy watching him but he didn't really react, just watched. Callen felt a little cooler with just his t-shirt on, but he could tell his ability to breathe was diminishing. Just that slight bit of exertion had made things considerably worse. He started coughing and told Sam it was getting harder for him to breathe. Sam was determined to get help, told him that he couldn't lose him. Sam then tried to go for help, but his attempt failed. He only made it a few feet away from the shed and the boy ended up running off. Knowing their time was growing short, they talked for a bit, but they didn't let things get too sentimental between them. They each knew how the other man felt about him. They couldn't have been any closer. Finally, the lack of air prevented Callen from talking any longer. Sam held his hand and told him to rest, calling him brother. Callen knew the end was near for both of them.

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Sam laid there, watching G's chest rise and fall and listening to his irregular breathing as his partner drifted off. He knew he was going to lose him and there was nothing he could do. He found himself staring upward, imaging his wife looking down on them. He could see her smile as clear as day and the look of love in her eyes. "Please baby," he whispered, his eyes filling with tears. "If there's anything you can do for him…I...I need him." He closed his eyes for a short period, maybe seconds, maybe minutes...he really didn't know. He could no longer keep track of time. He then focused his attention back on G and his heart stood still. His friend wasn't breathing. Sam begged him to stay with him, knowing that his miracle wasn't going to happen, and then suddenly it did. Some men burst into the shed and the boy came out from among them and handed him a pen. A knife soon followed and Sam carefully cut into his best friend's chest. The sound of Callen finally taking a wheezing breath followed by coughing were the best sounds Sam could have imagined.

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Later, when it was all over and they were being transported along with Kensi and Deeks in the Medivac helicopter, Sam gazed at his partner who looked a bit dazed and was only half awake. "Hey G...I have something to tell you," he said quietly. "When I've finished with the boat, I was thinking...How would you like to take a long trip, just you and me on the open sea. We can go wherever you'd like. I think it would be great, don't you?"

Still unable to talk, Callen nodded, a slight smile on his lips, then he drifted off. Sam wasn't sure he would even remember what he'd told him, but he would tell him again when G was awake and aware of his surroundings. Sam wasn't going to waste their second chance. He would make sure the boat trip happened and it would be a trip of a lifetime for both of them.


End file.
